Keep Breathing
by iMissa
Summary: “Hey, Sasuke,” Sakura mused, “you know, your butt is really big. It’s kind of like your ego.” SasuSaku. AU.


**Disclaimer: Guys, I can't even draw a straight line with a _ruler_. I kid you not. So obviously, there is NO WAY I'd own Naruto. **

**Dedication: Kiki, who rocks my world. She helped me out a LOT with my English research paper (even though she thinks that she basically did nothing, but trust me, she DID) and therefore deserves this. I hope you like it, babe.**

**A/N- The title has nothing to do with the story; it's from a song that I LOVE, and that song is from the ending of Season Three to _Grey's Anatomy. _To all of my Grey's fans--it's the scene where Cristina goes to the apartment she and Burke shared after he leaves her. (I may hate that scene for what it represents but the song is really good.)**

**Anyway, this is one of my favorite things I've ever written. Probably because it has mostly IC Sasuke--right up until the end, obviously, but even then his character is still there. Review, yeah?**

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke," Sakura mused, "you know, your butt is really big. It's kind of like your ego."

And really, from her view point, his butt _was _big, since it was basically in her face. She put her elbow down and propped up her head to give her more space.

"What?" Her boyfriend's tone was apathetic, but she had known him for seven years, and she could read the tinge of irritation in his voice.

_His hands are very warm_, she thought, smiling a little at the shirt on his back. His hands held on to the back on her knees, while she was slung across his shoulder; he was carrying her back to her dorm. On his other shoulder was her messenger bag.

"Yeah. I mean, your ass is in my face, and it's big. Like how big your head is. I don't mean that literally, by the way--you get what I mean." She tacked the last part on affectionately.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, and his fingers began to stroke the back of her knees. Sakura let out a shriek and started flailing, giggly wildly. "What the hell." Sasuke said flatly; his hands had ceased moving but the roseate-haired female was still squirming against his shoulder. Not that he was complaining, but it was getting _annoying_. (And gaining them odd looks. Sasuke hoped that none of them thought he was carting her off to kill her and then bury the evidence, or something.

Hey, you never knew with these people.)

"Sakura." She was _still _laughing. Crazy female.

"Well, it was YOUR fault!" She accused him breathlessly, and knew, by pure instinct, that he had risen an eyebrow. "And stop thinking I'm stupid. And crazy. You tickled one of my tickle spots; therefore, I laughed."

"But you _continued _to laugh even after I had stopped." He pointed out. She felt him stop and heard him open a door, then they walked up stairs. Sakura watched with interest as the muscles in his calf flexed, deciding not to comment on what he said.

"I think I should take you to the beach. You're too pale. People will start thinking you're a vampire or something." She started laughing again, and Sasuke sighed as he opened a door.

"Just how much coffee did you have?" He wondered as he grasped her gently by the waist and deposited her on her bed. Sakura fixed herself so that she sat down Indian-style and ran her fingers through her hair, working out the tangles.

"Just a few cups." She pouted, and Sasuke gave her a look that clearly said that _he did not believe her_. "You're mean." She stuck her tongue out, managing to pull it back in before Sasuke leaned down and kissed her roughly. She held the back of his head, deepening the kiss, before he pulled away, gazing at her.

She grinned easily at him, then glanced behind him, at the clock. "You have Psych in ten minutes." She reminded the dark-haired male.

"Hn." He muttered, and his features twisted; she knew he didn't like the class--actually, it was the teacher he didn't like--but he still went to it.

"You're so adorable when you're sulking." She teased, pinching his cheek, and he grunted, not looking pleased at this action. "Class." She said again, and he sighed.

"Aa."

"I love you."

"Aa." He kissed her on the temple and got up, grabbing his laptop case from beside her wall, where he had left it earlier when he went to go pick her up from her Philosophy class.

"You're coming to pick me up later, right?"

He looked back at her, hand on the doorknob. "Yeah." His gaze narrowed. "Get some sleep."

She smiled sheepishly. So he _had _noticed the slight dark spots beneath her eyes.

"Yes, father." She muttered sarcastically. He made a face and she blew him a kiss. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but she caught the tiny smile on his face as he closed the door.

**-x-**

Sakura was fixing her hair in the mirror when a knock sounded on the door. She already knew who it was. "Come in!" She yelled, ignoring the sound of the door opening and closing.

"You're _still _getting ready?" Sasuke grunted, and she turned her head to glare at him.

"Shush, you. You're lucky you're incredibly, naturally beautiful or you'd be spending more time in front of a mirror than _I _do."

"Hn. I am not _beautiful_, Sakura." Emerald eyes, sparkling with mirth, met obsidian ones in the reflective surface of the mirror.

"I disagree, darling, but for the sake of your macho-ism I'll just go along with whatever you say." Sakura watched as he rolled his eyes and she giggled.

Finally just deciding to clip her hair back with a barrette, Sakura skipped over happily to where Sasuke leaned against the wall.

He straightened slightly as she approached and she smiled at him, taking his hand. "You are entirely too touchy-feely," he muttered, but clasped his hand around hers anyway.

**-x-**

"Awww, Sasuke!" Sakura squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. Sasuke sighed, watching as she observed the park. "This is where you took me on our first date."

She turned her head to him, fading sunlight highlighting her features. Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets. "It was _not _a date."

She smirked at him. "Sure, sure, whatever you say, Sasuke." He merely sighed in response as Sakura picked her way over the woodchips over to the swings. She sat down, the painted-black rubber seat moving to adjust her weight.

"Sasuke!" She called over to him. "Come push me!"

"Annoying." He muttered but walked over to her, coming to stand behind the female. His hands emerged from his pockets and fixed themselves against her back, shoving her gently. "Aren't you old enough to be doing this by yourself?" He grumbled.

She laughed. "Duh! But it's more fun when _you're _pushing me."

"The only thing you push with me is my buttons." He muttered dryly and Sakura giggled.

"Oh stop sulking, Sasuke; you _know _you enjoy doing this." _You enjoy making me happy_.

"…Aa."

She laughed, sounding free, going as high as the swing would allow her to go. Now she pumped herself, Sasuke standing back and merely watching the happiness on his girlfriend's face. She looked more carefree than she had in a while, what with all of the stress of being in medical school taking a toll on her.

"Y'know," Sakura began thoughtfully, "I always used to love to swing when I was younger."

From behind her, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Yeah." She said. "I always wanted to touch the sky." She laughed, though the sound of it was a little sad, and Sasuke frowned. "Stupid, huh? Dreams always seem so simple when you're little."

"It's not stupid." Sasuke told her. Sakura, who by now had stopped pumping her legs and had begun to slow down, glanced back, a little half-smile formed on her face.

"Really?" She asked, and Sasuke nodded.

"Aa."

Her lips stretched until she was grinning and Sasuke, whose hands were in his pockets again, raised an eyebrow. She jumped off the swing and walked towards him, slowly. The image of a predator stalking its prey flashed through his head.

Sasuke frowned, watching as something distinctively _sadistic _flashed through those bright eyes before they were normal-looking again. (Or as normal as viridian eyes can _get_.)

"_Sasuke," _The male tensed. "You really _do _care." She grinned. "You're like a truffle--" Inwardly, some part of his brain that wasn't wary of his girlfriend muttered that it _figures _she'd use a chocolate analogy, "you have a hard protective covering but you're all melted and warm inside."

"_What?_" Sasuke snapped, just a little bit offended. The Uchiha had been accused of many things, but _never _that he was secretly a ball of mush on the inside. "Are you on _crack_, woman? Just what the hell did you _do _before I came and got you?"

Sakura laughed. "You're up to your ears in De Nile, Sasuke." She sang out, and Sasuke sighed, muttering something that she couldn't hear as his hand clenched in his pocket. She sauntered closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling her head into his chest. "It's okay, Sasuke," she whispered. "Your secret's safe with me." He could hear the teasing tone in her voice and sighed again, but he put a hand atop her head, pink hair curling against his fingers as he gazed out into the sky.

The sun had set, leaving it a deep purple. "Twilight." He muttered, and felt Sakura straighten up against him, a grin already crossing her face as he rolled his eyes. "Not _that _Twilight, moron." She pouted.

The streetlights were on above the basketball court, shining down onto the blacktop, and beyond that was the meadow that most kids used for baseball or occasionally volleyball. The shadows from the streetlights were cast onto the grass, somewhat illuminating parts of it, though there were random, muted flashes of light every few minutes; the fireflies were out.

Sasuke put one of his hands behind him and grasped Sakura's, starting to walk towards the basketball court and the meadow. "Ooh, fireflies!" Sakura gasped, a childlike enthusiasm entering her eyes. She tugged on Sasuke's hand, indicating that she wanted to go to the grassy field and capture the fireflies but Sasuke's grip on her hand tightened almost imperceptibly as he continued to walk towards the basketball court.

Sakura glanced at the male as he began to subtly veer to the right. "Sasuke…?" He didn't answer her, instead coming to stop in front of where the grass met the concrete of the court. "Sasuke?" Her question was clearer now, but Sasuke still would not look at her; instead, his focus was on the blacktop.

Confused, Sakura followed his line of vision.

On the blacktop, in blue and pink chalk, read:

MARRY ME.

Sakura went rigid with shock, everything starting to add up. The reason why he brought her to the park of their first date--she didn't care if he denied it, it was _true_, dammit--him buying her nice new clothes (the majority of which were still in the bag by her bed. Oops.) and why his hand had been in his pocket so much this entire night. True, it wasn't uncommon for her boyfriend to shove his hands into his pockets--it was, she believed, a defense mechanism of some sort. His aura practically radiated nonchalance, and this gesture just emphasized his 'get-away-from-me' posture--but one of his pockets held a velvet box.

"Marry me." He muttered in her ear, and she jumped slightly; she hadn't even felt him let go of her hand, nor come behind her. She spun around, eyes wide before she smiled, tears welling up as she jumped on him. Sasuke stumbled slightly before wrapping his arms around her small waist.

"Yes. Yes yes yes, GOD yes." She laughed, and the tears began falling as she smiled into his neck. He was relaxed, warm, _content_. She pulled back, grabbing his face between both hands and kissed him, long and hard, still smiling slightly.

Finally he set her down, brushing back some of the hair that had escaped her barrette. Sakura paid it no heed as she smiled up at him. He didn't see the expectancy in that smile until it faded slightly and she punched him in the arm.

"_C'mon_, Sasuke, you have to get down on one knee." She pouted. "Jeez, you don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?" She sighed wistfully, no doubt thinking of her stupid cliché girly movies.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but complied. He grabbed her hand, one knee upwards and the other on the ground--Sakura flushed--and stared into her eyes. His left hand reached into his pocket, producing a small box. He opened the top with his thumb, and Sakura's gaze focused on the ring that was soon going to be hers; tears came to her eyes again. It was simple, with three princess-cut diamonds on it, the center one bigger than the two others.

"You want a romantic proposal?" Sasuke asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Okay then. I'll give you something to tell your friends about." His face melted into total seriousness and Sakura's knees almost gave out at the smoldering effect of Sasuke's eyes. (You'd think that after seven years of knowing him, four of being his girlfriend, that she'd be used to the power of that gaze, but he was so _pretty_…uh, handsome. She meant handsome.

If he ever found out she called him pretty he'd never cook for her again. Or make/buy her coffee!)

"Haruno Sakura," he began, and placed the small velvet box on his knee, positioned so that they could both see it, "this...is us." With his pointer finger he gestured to the silver band--it was a circle. A circle that never ended. Sakura began to get choked up. "And this is how long I want to be with you." He pointed to the left diamond. "Now." He pointed to the far right one. "And forever." The tears began to fall. "So…" he exhaled slowly, still staring into her eyes, "will you marry me?" He slipped the ring onto her finger, seconds before she tackled him, her tears running down his neck.

"Yes." She answered again, _still _crying.

"Annoying," he muttered, but wrapped his arms around her again, "if you don't stop crying then you're going to give yourself a headache, idiot."

She hiccupped a laugh and he made a face when she wiped her tears into his shirt. They laid there for a while, him staring up at the stars, her breathing in his scent, fingers splayed across his chest while she admired her new engagement ring. "Hey, Sasuke?"

"What."

"Did you…did you mean it? What you were saying when you proposed?"

He glanced down only to find her staring at him intently.

"Aa." She smiled and closed the gap between their lips.

**-x-**

Sakura sighed, throwing her--and his, because she enjoyed wearing his shirts. A lot--laundry into the washing machine, pouring the detergent and fabric softener in and then setting the time and temp, listening as the machine began to start up and whirl.

On the washing machine next to her the engagement ring sparkled--Sakura couldn't believe that Sasuke had only proposed two weeks ago, because it seemed like so much longer.

Something caught her eye and Sakura picked it up; there were words written in script behind where the three diamonds sat.

_Forever._

She smiled.


End file.
